*ring*
*ring*
-Hello, you’ve reached Zach
-Hey there Zach, this is God, I was hoping I would catch you. I have an opening on my disciple team next year and saw you’re using some of your gifts of travel and photography. Hoping you could join in!
-Awe sounds awesome! But, I just got home, haven’t seen the family in a while, got some school debt to pay off, and am working on my photography and design career here. So I don’t know if I have the time or resources to be away that long again…
-Exactly. Haven’t you seen the way I’ve trained you to do this! This mission is for you specifically. It’s in my plan. I’ve developed you as a traveller, and have created you as a wanderer because I know you don’t mind the uncomfortable and unknown and can be flexible as you race around the world helping my servants I have already placed. You will use your compassion and empathy to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and clothe the naked.
-But the money, the time, my career, my imperfections, my…-
-Just bring you. I’ll take care of the rest!
-Yes Lord, I’m all in.
-Well done.
*click*
If only receiving a call from God was this easy and this straightforward! It’d be too easy! We wouldn’t need to seek council, pray, doubt, delay… It would be obvious. But despite the extra work, I appreciate the mystery and intrigue of the Lord and the little clues and messages he leaves for us to find the way.
My decision to do the World Race wasn’t an easy one. I mean it was easy because it involves everything I love to do! Travel, helping others, mystery, wandering, photography! But how do you remove what you love to do, to see if it truly is God’s plan, since he won’t simply ring you up on the phone and tell you!!
As I mentioned, its the signs and clues and breadcrumbs He leaves along the way. Without getting into too much detail, I will share a few of the clues given to me that helped me put the pieces together. First, over the course of the last year, there have been plenty of people who have recommended the World Race to me as something that would suit me very well! And others still, who when I mentioned the idea to them, said “That is exactly something you would do.” Second, I do have the travel bug! It’s a bad case too! I can’t be in the same place doing the same thing for too long. The World Race relocates you to a new country every month and places you in a new ministry each time to equip us for all sorts of ministries as a part of our discipleship training program. Third, because I have travelled, I have overcome one of the first of three steps outlined in Seth Barnes’ ‘Kingdom Journeys’ book: Abandonment. By being on the road last year, I have been accustomed to abandoning family, friends, home, and a familiar lifestyle. Fourth, as I was deciding if it was for God or me, the only excuses I had for not doing the race were selfish. I am missing out on work/building my career, I’ve already said no to a few weddings because I won’t be around, I can’t date for a year, it’ll cost me a lot of money, I’ll miss family, I’ll miss significant events in my friends lives, and giving up my independance that I learned to love the last year working, living, and traveling on my own. Yes, all important, worthwhile things. Kingdom focused? Not as much as giving it all for God for a year with a well established ministry.
All this said, after months of going back and forth on the intentions of my involvement with the World Race, it’s as clear as if God called me on the phone: “You are going to be my disciple in the nations.” It’s exciting, because as I mentioned, its what I love to do and how much more exciting that Christ is the 100% focus of what I love to do! Real thankful to be clear on that decision and moving forward with my World Race team.
–
Now’s the fun part where I get to be the street performer at the end throwing my hat on the ground, just minus the amazing juggling and fire breathing I didn’t just do (although maybe ill post a video of me trying later…). The World Race isn’t free. It costs me $16,000 to cover my training, insurance, flights, meals, roof over my head, vaccinations, ministry supplies, and much more over the course of a year. The hardest part of the Race for me is to give up my financial independence for a year, but I can’t quite cover the full $16,000 by myself quite yet. So I humbly ask for your support over the next year as I pursue the calling I have received.
The way God has been settling me on this issue is the way partnership with supporters from home forces me into accountability with each and every one of you while I’m trotting the globe. I have consistently been one of the worst postcard senders and communicators with friends and family while on my travels. But now, knowing so many of you will be invested in my ministry, I will commit to keep you informed via blogs, letters, and maybe the occasional postcard of the work being done all over the world. This blog will be a great resource to follow my World Race as I plan to post a few times while in each country.
Luke 10
-Zach
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